UPEI with wire-to-wire win over Memorial at home, 59-46

(CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.) - UPEI led from start to finish, defeating the Memorial Sea-Hawks, 59-46 Saturday night at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre in front of 190 fans.

The Panthers' balanced attack proved to be too much for the visiting Sea-Hawks as they took an early 17-9 advantage into the second quarter with six players scoring in the opening frame.

UPEI's in-your-face defence was the story of the first half as they were able to hold Memorial to 18 points and only seven field goals in the opening 20 minutes.

Anne Kiberd (Halifax, N.S.), and Candace Smith (New Minas, N.S.) led the Panthers, scoring eight and six respectively, with six others tallying points. The Sea-Hawks' Tianna Brown (Douglas, Arizona) went a perfect three-for-three for six points of her own as Memorial trailed 32-18 at halftime.

The balanced attack continued for the Panthers, led by the hot shooting of Anne Kiberd who hit on three of four shots from long range. Kiberd's 13 led all scorers but UPEI had seven others contributing to their 48-34 lead after three quarters of action.

The Panthers allowed only four field goals in the final quarter en route to a 59-46 win.

Both teams suffered from turnovers but the Panthers' 12 steals ignited them on the offensive end.

Nine of UPEI's 12 players found their way onto the score sheet led by Amy Gough (St. John's, N.L.) with 10 and Anne Kiberd with a game-high 16.

Leading the way for the Sea-Hawks were Tianna Brown, who shot a perfect five for five, good enough for 11 points and Megan Robinson who chipped in with 10.

Anne Kiberd was named the Subway player of the game for her second straight game. Kiberd who has been dialed in all season from distance added four more today, keeping her atop the league lead in three-point percentage (41 per cent).

UPEI (6-4) and Memorial (3-6) meet again in a Sunday matinee, at 1 p.m. local time at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Source: Jonathan Lane for UPEI Sports Communications